A 17-year-old Connecticut Science Center representative was hoping to convince the Connecticut House of Representatives to maintain funding for the center's ambassador program when she testified before the Appropriations Committee on February 20th.

Instead, what she received was a lewd remark from Deputy House Speaker Rep. Ernest Hewett (D).

He was subsequently stripped of his deputy speaker title, but some Democrats have since rushed to Hewett's defense.

Rep. Edward Moukawsher said he'd known Hewett for years and "the last thing he meant to do was in any way make a comment that was lewd." Moukawsher explained that Hewett meant to say that the girl's shyness "was just as much a reality of me having a live snake under his desk."